The W-Club was founded in 1928 as a gathering point of Western Kentucky athletes from all sports and evolved in the early 1930s into two related entities: the W-Club of current athletes and the (Alumni) W-Club, a rallying point for former athletes. In 1939, Coach Ted Hornback, Head of the Department of Physical Education & Athletics as well as an assistant basketball coach, organized a dinner meeting for alumni letterwinners at the Helm Hotel on the corner of State and Main streets in Bowling Green following the Homecoming football game. Those dinners became annual events following the afternoon homecoming games, which gave former student-athletes and letterwinners an opportunity to revisit the Hill. Mr. Hornback was elected secretary/treasurer of the Alumni W-Club at its first meetings. He served continuously as secretary/treasurer until he was succeeded in 1971 by Mr. Lawrence (Butch) Gilbert. The annual meeting of the membership was moved to the E.A. Diddle Arena Lobby and E.B. Stansbury Concourse after the opening of that facility in 1963. At that time, the dinner meeting was changed to a brunch. The governance and business of the Club changed to a Board of Directors format that was implemented in 1978 during Col. Mickey Riggs' Term as W-Club President. Today, the W-Club is active in various projects that support both current student-athletes and former Topper athletes, as well as the University's mission.